My Career Story; From Climbing it to Impacting With It.

I used to think that I should have One career, grow on it as much as possible, and the rest will fall into place, one way or another. I also believed that working a corporate job meant having almost no room for any other (decent-sized) endeavor. I saw this limitation as "fair" since I've already chosen my career. 

I grew up thinking I'll get "the right degree," master "that" profession, and work super hard on my career throughout my entire life. While I always loved learning and was super curious, I saw those 'other things' as hobbies.  

In my early 20s, I wanted to work for large corporations worldwide. Halfway into my 30s, I worked for 4 large corporations and lived in 9 different countries; To me, I was doing well in "The" career I wanted. A big part of my identity was: I am an engineer, bla, bla, bla specializing in bla, bla, bla.

I was constantly looking for extra responsibilities; over budgets, people, and other business deliverables. Proportionally, I was losing more and more of my time for anything else. It was good, absolutely; that life came with lots of bucks, security, and benefits. However, it was at the cost of spending about 90% of my productive time working or traveling for work, leaving little space for passions, novelty, creativity, or adventure. 

How could I possibly complain about the situation, especially in front of others who saw how "good" I was doing?  

Have you ever been trading all your productive time and energies on your job but knowing deep inside that there was more to life than keep doing what you already know how to do well?

I tried hard to make it all work; I volunteered to teach kids, worked on my Psychology degree, and ran all my projects at work. And I found myself writing papers during intercontinental flights, away from my kids long for periods, and waking up every day at 4 AM...to make all fit in...

Do you recognize that feeling when "You know" that you could do and be more but "don't know" how that could possibly happen? 

One day, driving back home after teaching, I felt a deep need to give more. But to really give much more, to contribute to others. That feeling grew deeper every day: "Working hard" to provide for my family, get a promotion, do some charity here and there… it was not All I came here for. I needed more: do more for others, discover what else it was to live a fully lived life. To have more adventures, bigger challenges & follow more my passions. 

The moment that changed everything.

By that time, there was a 'new' reorganization at my company. It turned out well for me and I told my wife: if instead, this would have turned out negatively, I'd have A reason to change. At that moment, I saw (and couldn't unsee anymore) I AM the one in charge of my fate—all the time, every time. 

Those seconds surfaced to my mind an experience I had in Africa 10 years before visiting a Massai tribe. A group from Relief International arrived to provide high-calories food pouches to the kids of the tribe. They measured the kid's humerus (shoulder to elbow). If the arm was of the same length as the (standard) rope...they'd shout "To the left" -meaning still healthy, and they'd get a pouch. Those whose arm was either longer or shorter were dismissed without any food. The volunteer told me: "They've grown to a safety level, or they are so undernourished that "THEY WON'T MAKE it ANYWAYS." They WON'T make it ANYWAYS !!!??. I promised to myself, looking into a kid's eyes: Javier, you need to be ashamed of dying before doing something HUGE to change this situation. 

I AM in charge of my fate...If not now, when?

I put my house for sale and speed up my psychology exams. I organized a non for profit in Africa, founded a for-profit business practice, and went to Uganda, Kenia, and Rwanda to live for 1 year.

• I started to realize that I could do Non-for-profit or Volunteer work and still be a super-achiever, demanding, top-notch professional. 
• I discovered and accepted that: my job, career, title, and role are not my identity and that I can live without having a corporate job.
• Even more, I can have as many and different careers as I wanted to because I am carrying over my most important asset: Myself.
• I can be whatever I choose to be, as I have claimed my freedom to do, learn, and be more for others and myself. 

The transition and the entire journey were not easy or sweet. Through the process, I learned that I can not create something new, knowing beforehand how things will turn out. I can not always have certainty or a safety net, but If facing discomfort, risks, and fears IS part of the journey, I eventually learned to enjoy also that part. 

I understood how much more it was possible. For instance, I'm now running a program for 100 refugee women in SouthAfrica and Namib: "Training female entrepreneurs to be market leaders" over the phone (see Covid). Or helping a primary school in Uganda grow and function (picture :-) or developing my consulting business with now one branch in the US and another one in Europe.

I see now how we all have a multiplicity of talents, interests, and passions. However, only discovering and living those gifts brings us to a deeper level of fulfillment in life. 

I personally went from having "social success" with no impact or time for anything else to making the most out of my life for myself and others. And all of my usual feelings of wasting time, missing out, or not doing the utmost of my potential...vanished. 

I evolved from discipline to flow and from security to aliveness. 

Thus, I became super passionate and made it a mission to help everyone get clarity, be in flow, and create a real impact.

Drop me an emoji if you resonate with any of these...??????